USED Volkswagen Passat Estate (05 - 11)

My car

I took ownership in May 2006 of my 1.9tdi estate, at first I was made up with it but within three weeks the problems started! A clunking noise appeared from the front nearside and when the car was booked into my local VW Dealer they said it was a CV gaiter and they simply put some grease on it.Surprise! as soon as I got it back the noise was still there! To cut along story short it was the whole steering rack that needed replacing!

The service I received was pathetic which left me driving around in a car with a defective steering rack( which took 5 weeks to fix),anyway that was that. Afew weeks later whilst out and about I stopped the car and got out, went to lock the car and nothing? all the ignition had totally gone awol and the car was parralised especially with the elctronic handbrake. It took the AA about half an hour to get it started and to the nearest VW Dealer.

When I picked the car up no reason was given as usual.

Today the same thing happened again just as I was sarting a trip from Teeside to Liverpool! so remembering what the AA done I managed to get it going! My opinion the car is good in style ,space etc but absolutley diabollicle in quality! The only good thing is the car is on a lease so Ive only got it for another two years!!!!!!!!!!!

My car

Overall I am pleased with this car (I took delivery at the end of June), however it is also suffering from the annoying squeaks, rattles and vibrations.

It has a comfortable ride, it's refined and quiet, in particular on motorways and A-roads. It corners well, too. All in all, it has a quality look and feel interior, with nice velour seats. It's stylish to look at, has quality switches and surfaces, and a lovely leather steering wheel. The interior is intuitive to use. It has a powerful engine, it's easy to drive, in particular as a motorway cruiser. It's spacious and has great equipment.

However, there have been annoying rattles and squeaks from day one, on both sides behind the driver (optional rear air bags or boot) reacting to up and down movement. There's another in the dashboard reacting to acceleration and deceleration, and vibration in the interior when accelerating in high gear. That is unacceptable and lets the otherwise great car down. I had a Ford Focus estate for four years before and I did not have one squeak or rattle after four years!

The dealerships I dealt with are appalling - the dealer ordered the wrong phone system so had to buy a new phone for me in the end. It took two months to establish their fault, and customer service responsiveness was very poor. Also, they supplied the vehicle with a one-inch long fibre pulled from the rear seats. Another dealer is incapable of fixing the squeaks and rattles. Finally, the automatic light is a bit random.

My car

I bought this car in May 06 after being impressed by the stylish looks and following an excellent test drive. Unfortunately I have suffered internal rattles and noises since the very first week and the car has been in the garage several times. I have written to the Managing Director of VW UK and my car has been examined by the factory staff who came over from Germany just to see it and one other car with the same problem. Nearly three months after that visit I still have a car with multiple annoying rattles and even after phoning VW UK and the dealership I am no further forward. This appears to be a high quality and stylish car but it is sadly let down by the standard of materials used in the interior and the fact that the rattles appear to be un-fixable. I am at the stage where it is so annoying for me and my passengers that I don't want the car any more.

My car

Passatt SEL 2.0 Estate

I took delivery at the end of April 06 by the begining of May it was back in the dealership with a series of rattles/vibrations comming from the door pillars around the area of the seat belt mountings, and under the steering column. After collecting it three days later, having been told it was fixed I found the problems were still the same. After taking the car back and seeing the bodyshop manager we were told that the problem was in the roof! The head lining needed to be romoved, the air bags taken out and bar which held the curtain air bags needed to be welded.

To cut a very long story short, the head lining has been down three times, the door hinges have been removed and replaced, the strengthening bar across the roof has been welded and we are still left with a luxury car which sounds like a bag of spanners, Out of the first 14 weeks of ownership the car was back in the garage for 8 of those weeks being passed from one body shop to another.

I have now formerly rejected the vehicle and have just been informed that Volkswagen have had no other problems of this kind, although reading other owners comments that seems far from the truth. The car is now going back into the garage for the whole process to begin again!

I wish I had kept my old Golf V5 and my £24,500 in my pocket.